Forrest’s Reviews > Ghost Stories of an Antiquary > Status Update

"The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" is a textbook mystery marbled through with supernatural elements. The narrator's presentation is a well-played shell game of obfuscation and revelation. I would have liked a more consequential ending, but that trick was for later authors. Five stars.

I need to read "The Treasure of Abbott Thomas" when I'm not so sleepy. Literally fell asleep reading on my lunch break!

"Sinister" is the best word, I think, to describe the feeling of the story "Oh, whistle, and I'll Come to You My Lad". The apparition therein is the scariest of all in this book thus far. I may not sleep well tonight, all wrapped up in bed sheets. Five shuddering stars.

*sigh* you had to go and blow the whistle, didn't you, Parkins? This is the part where things go horribly, horribly wrong, I suppose.

Important safety tip: If you find something in a grave, don't play with it. Whatever you do , don't touch it to your lips! Yuck!

"Count Magnus" is the most evocative story in this collection thus far. By "evocative," I mean that it is . . . well, not subtle, but not "in your face," either. It's more creepy than horrific, and that's the sort of thing that I love. This could easily be a Twilight Zone episode!

Ah, "Count Magnus" is NOT a novella: Whomever did layout on this edition (Good Port) done screwed up! After this story, we have "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad," and "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas". The layout is so screwed up, in fact, that these last two don't even appear in the table of contents.

Ah, "Count Magnus" is a novella. We need more novellas in the world. Many, many more. I wish the majority of published works were novellas. But I'm a snob that way.

Four stars.

"Number 13" is a great little mystery. Not the strongest story so far, but by no means weak. If you wonder where Mephistopheles took Faust, this might give an indicator. And it's closer than you think. In fact, it might be right next door. The trick is to find the door . . . and avoid it at all costs!

Ew, ew, ew, eeeewwwww!! "The Ash-Tree" = nopenopenope. Just. No. And not the most effective story thus far, but still better than most other strange stories of a similar ilk. But this story gives me the jibblies. Pushes too far into gross territory for me. Creepy is not the same as gross. 4 stars.